Flushing apparatus.



LE ROY"BALL AND AUGUSTUS L. MOLEAN, OF-ASHEVILLE NORTI-I FLUSHING APPARATUS,'

Specification of Letterslatent. I

a n d A -21, 1.917,

Application filed. January 13, 1917; Serial No. 142,280.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we=,- LE2 ROY BALL: and AUoUsTUs L. MCLEAN, citizens of the :United States,residin g at,Asheville,"in the county; of Buncombe and Stateuof North Caroliirag havevinvented certain new r and useful Improvements inFlushing Apparatus ;s and we do hereby declare the following to hem full,- r; clearyancl'exact description of theein-vention-,-'a-. such as will enable others skilledyin the art to which it apipentains to :make and use the same-w,

This; invention relates to flushing appa: 1

ratuawand particiilarly to'flush tanks:

1; Itpis ianrobj-eot oflthespresent iinvention-P; to ,lproviclet a iiush-tankin which the-water; for: refillingithefztankmay enter through a valvewhich is'normally open until; the: main tank is substantially filled with wvater 1 and ;is then quickly Cl'OSQduby an automatic valve 1 which-operates 1na chamber independent" from the main flushing tanks Itis a'further object 'of the present in--' vention to rprovidera flushing apparatus in which the valve, mechanism and its con-1 trollingfloat are so organized andarranged that the valve wlll remaln open to its fullest extent during the filling period, and will then be closed quickly for; the purpose of. avoidingwthe gradual closing and resulting.-hiss-- 111g noise owmgtothe constricted aperture at-the valve as the latter closes, and a'fur-a then object is to provide va flushing. tank the valvea I it hese and'othenobjects in view, as

will wbe readily apparent ,in :the following 1 '"specification the invention: consists: .ofa flush tank having a-suitablegi'lushing outlet in its ;bottom,' 1 and a supply; @valve :to'fill' the tank with-water, andv a-,-=float"operable* in a separate 'chaniberrjfromathe fiushinggtank to 'rapidlyunlosethe, supply valve after the tank 1 proper hasbeen-filled' to the desired level.

The, invention further consistsin :means providing'for -var1ous ad ustments and pro-w viding'jfor'the adaptability of the-parts of tithe apparatus -to various types; of; tanks. The embodiment-of F the- -invention ,hereindescribed isillustr ated in the accompanyingqdrawing 1n W'lllCllillQ figure 1s a subthat the supply valve is-openrandits con-- 'itrollin g. floatv is in r the: lowermost position;

the tank having. been emptied.

Inthe form. ofthe invention illustrated, q

2 represents a tankof suitable proportion '60,.

design and; construction having in;or. ad-

.jacent itszbottom an outlet 3 forming a seat fona flushvalve i of=suita blewtype which xis adapted to be lifted :to open the outlet ,3 Y fby::connectionof any suitable device to.-the '65 3 upper .end of thezstem: 5 of the-flush valve i. The tank 2 is adapte'd toabe -filledby:..

,water from a suitable source of supply and theiifilling iszcontrolledby asupply valvelz- 6 suitablyz mounted :with relation Ito the 1.70

tanln The important i'eatureuof'the present in-: vention lGSlClQSlIl the means for controlling the' OperatiOn vof the supplyrvalve. 6, and;

in the present form comprises the provision 1:7 5

of. a separategchamber orreceptacle'iso disposed that. after the tank 2 is zfilledpexcessn of water coming; fromwthe supply valve 6 x will enter the auxiliary chamber and cause;

a float therein'to 'rise subsequent vto the fill-- 80 ingot the tank 2,vand=.thus: quickly-Hand. alL. most instantly close the supplyflvalve andcutiol'l the supply of Waters Itzi'sunderstood thatathis auxiliary. chamber :ma-y be dist.

posed in any relation to the evalve-and may 35;;

be of suitable shape; design and proportion; and located as maybe desired witlrrelatlon V to the tank 2 .In'thepresent casef'an: aux-,, with'the partsaso arranged that the washers of the valve are protected against ;unnecessary wear by slow closing movement of;

iliary or float chamber 101 is shown. ELSll'lOllIlt-fi ed1at. one-end oifrthe tank Q and havingratifiog.

nected a stem. 1i .extending;upwardlythrough-a guide 15 otsuitable '.clesign,fthe upper end of the stem 14: being .providedai with an .eyetlGi To operate thevalveG the,

. latter is provided;witha-an;:adjustablmstenr.

or .lever, 17 whichaextends in a suitablerdie: 10p:

rection toavard [the chambenlO. and .preferably. is connected "by anzadjustable connec-;

tion as at 18 to the eye 1601"? the float stein 14.x In the :presvent'instance theconnectioir 18 comprises asubstantially L shaped arm 105' having an upwardlyextendingshankz 191. with an elbow 20- adjustable on its upper," end and in one arm ofwhichxelboiv there is adjustably connected; a ;shank .21 which:

passes @throughxthe eye 161above thes top 0150110 the float chamber 10. After the flush valve 4 has been opened to permit the escape of water from the tank 2 through the out-let 3, the check valve 12 controlling the float chamber 10 will open under pressure of water in the chamber and all of the water be drained from the tank and the float chamber. As the float 13 falls in said chamber the lever arm 17 of the valve is lowered so as to open the valve and permit water to enter and refill the tank 2 until it reaches a level approximately at the top of the float chamber 10 or suitable openings which may be provided therein if desired, so that after thetank2 is filled and before the valve 6 is fully closed an excess of supply water will flow into the chamber 10 to fill the other to the desired height with the resulting action that the float 13 will be lifted and finally totally submerged by the water coming over the upper end or into the chamber 10; As the float 13 rises, and just prior tothe closing of the valve 6, the check valve 12 is automatically opened to equalize the level of the water in the main tank 2 and within the float chamber 10 through means of a'suitable connection as a link 12' which is pivoted at its lower end to the check valve 12 and asses through an eye or slotted extension 18 on the connection 18 at the end of the lever arm 17, the upper end of the link 12' being threaded as at 12 and provided with an adjustable nut 12 wherey the time of opening of the check or drain valve 12 may be nicely determined by the relative position of the sto nut 12 which is engageable by the eye 18 of the lever 17 The operation of the device is substantially as follows: Assuming that the tank has been emptied as shown in the present figure, and the valve 6 held in open position by the lowered float 13 and the lever arm 17, then the flush valve 4 has seated itself upon the outlet 3 and the incoming stream of water flows through the valve 6 and rises within the tank 2, the drain or check valve 12 meanwhile being automatically seated over the outlet 12 to close the float chamber 10. The continual inflow of water causes the rise of level in the tank 2 until an inlet opening or the open top of the chamber 10 is reached, after which the excess water from the tank 2 will flow into the float chamber 10 and causes the float 13 to rise, lifting with it the lever arm 17 and thus quickly closing the valve 6. It will be seen from the foregoing that while the tank 2 is being filled the valve 6 is held in fully open position until tank 2 is filled to the desired extent andthat there will be no himing noise due to the usual gradual constriction of the opening of the supply valve as occurs in such flush tanks in which the valve float is mounted in the tank proper and caused to vrise with the constantly varying level of the water, As soon as a suflicient quantity of water accumulates in the float chamber 10 the float is quickly lifted upward and rapidly closes the valve 6 and shuts off the flow of water. Just prior to the closing of the valve 6 there is an equalization of the levels of the water in the tank 2 and in the chamber 10 by the automatic opening of the check valve 12 through the engagement with the nut 12 on the upper end of the valve link with the eye 18' of the lever arm 17. From this it will be seen that we have provided a flushing tank in which the gradual closing of the supply valve is eliminated and the usual resultant hissing noise is overcome, and at the same time the life of the washer of the valve is extended by the saving of the wear due to friction thereon under pressure of the water through the valve as it is gradually closing.

Another important advantage which is gained by the present apparatus, is that in the event of a leak through the outlet or flush valve 4, the supply valve will remain closed until the level of the water in the tank 2 and its-associated float chamber 10 has been lowered to approximately one-half the maximum height by reason of the fact that the float 13 when its chamber 10 is filled is totally submerged and acts to ,holdthe valve closed during a considerable period during the gradual lowering of water in the various chambers due to leak. Then when this low level has been reached the valve will open and be quickly closed again as soon as the float 13 is raised the necessary extent.

lVhat we claim is:

1. A flushing apparatus comprising a tank and its flushing outlet and valve therefor, a supply valve having a lever, a float chamber with a drain valve leading to said tank, and adjustable connections between said lever and the float and the drain valve and1 providing for relative movement of eac 2. A flushing apparatus comprising a tank having a flushing-outlet and a valve therefor, a separate chamber having a drain valve leading to the tank, a float in said chamber, a suppl float in said cham er, and a connection between said drain valve and the su ply valve providin for initial movement of the lever freely o the drain valve and operative to open said drain valve when the supply valve is nearly closed to establish free communication between said chamber and tank.

3. A flushing apparatus comprising a tank having a flushlng outlet and a valve therefor, a separate chamber having a drain valve leading to the tank, a float in said chamber, a supply valve closable by the float 1n said chamber, and a connection between valve closable by the is nearly closed to establish free communicav tion between said chamber and tank, said connection being adjustable to provide for variation of time of action of the drain valve by said lever.

l. A flushing apparatus comprising a tank having a flushing valve, a supply valve and its lever, and a separate or float chamber having a drain valve leading to said tank, and a float guided therein, adjustable connections between said float and valve lever and including a sliding joint, said lever operatively connected to said drain valve.

5, A flushing apparatus comprising a tank having av flushing valve, a supply valve and its lever, and a separate or float cham her having a drain valve leading to said tank, and a. float guided therein, adjustable connections bet-ween said float and valve lever and providing for relative movement, said lever operatively and adjustably connected to said drain valve.

In testimony whereof we afliX our signatures.

LE ROY BALL. AUGUSTUS L. McLEAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. 

